As the Olympics got underway Friday, every media outlet made a point of noting that the Chinese had specifically chosen 8/8/08 as the date for the Opening Ceremonies because it would be good luck. In Chinese culture, the number 8 is supposedly magical — simply having it in your house number or address means prosperity. […]
Amid all the Olympics hoopla, there’s some controversy about an American basketball player named Becky Hammon. She’s a four-time WNBA all-star who really wanted to play in the Olympics, but US coach Anne Donovan didn’t choose her. So Hammon found another route. In addition to being a point guard most of the year for San […]
You don’t have to be an economist to know when things have gone south in your town. When we lived in Alexandria, Virginia, a decade ago, we noticed signs of a changing neighborhood economy when a “Checks Cashed” storefront opened. A few months later, a pawn shop moved into a nearby strip mall. These businesses […]
KC Chiefs pro bowl tight end Tony Gonzalez saved a man’s life last week, but the story raises a disturbing question. Gonzalez was having dinner with his family at Capone’s restaurant in Huntington Beach, California, when a woman behind him started screaming. Her boyfriend, Ken Hunter, had a piece of meat stuck in his throat […]
While I was on KMBZ/Kansas City today, their website’s poll question was: “If your company offered you a four day work week, but you had to work 10 hours a day, would you take it?” The question is based on the governor of Utah authorizing a yearlong experiment aimed at reducing the state’s energy costs […]
Even though the average temperature in Las Vegas this week is 105, the town is absolutely packed. Few tourists are willing to walk the strip in the midday sun — you can easily spot those that do, as their skin is the color of Carrot Top’s hair — so the sidewalks are a swarm of […]